The present invention relates to electronic price label (EPL) systems, and more specifically to an electronic price label system promotional information verifier.
EPL systems typically include a plurality of EPLs for each merchandise item in a transaction establishment. EPLs typically display the price of corresponding merchandise items on transaction establishment shelves and are typically attached to a rail along the leading edge of the shelves. A transaction establishment may contain thousands of EPLs to display the prices of the merchandise items. The EPLs are coupled to a central server from where information about the EPLs is typically maintained in an EPL, data file. Price information displayed by the EPLs is obtained from the PLU file.
Retailers typically want to display more than the price on EPLs. In the case of a xe2x80x9csalexe2x80x9d or other special promotion, a retailer may wish to display promotional information such as, xe2x80x9cWAS 1.69/SAVE 0.30xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cBUY ONE, GET ONExe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cSPECIAL PRICExe2x80x9d. Promotional information may be stored in a price file or in a separate file.
Customers may become confused if promotional information displayed by an EPL is inconsistent with current sales terms.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method of checking promotional information displayed by EPLs, and removing or changing the promotional information, if it is inconsistent with current sales terms.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an electronic price label (EPL) system promotional information verifier is provided.
The EPL promotional information verification system includes a computer system coupled to the EPL, which includes a terminal and a storage medium coupled to the terminal. The storage medium contains an EPL data file, which contains EPL identification information and an EPL promotional information verifier. The computer terminal executes a promotional information verification program which reads the promotional information file to obtain promotional information for the item, calculates another promotional information verifier from the promotional information in the promotional information file, reads EPL data file to obtain the one promotional information verifier, compares the one and the other promotional information verifiers to determine whether they are equal, and changes the displayed promotional information to the promotional information in the promotional information file if the one and the other promotional information verifiers are different.
The method of the present invention includes the steps of reading an electronic price label data file to obtain identification information and a promotional information verifier for the item, reading the promotional information file to obtain the promotional information for the item, calculating another promotional information verifier from the promotional information in the promotional information file, comparing the one and the other promotional information verifiers to determine whether they are equal, and changing the displayed promotional information to the promotional information in the promotional information file if the one and the other promotional information verifiers are different.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an EPL system promotional information verifier.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an EPL system promotional information verifier for comparing information displayed by EPLs with information in a promotional information file.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an EPL system promotional information verifier for replacing or removing information displayed by EPLs if it is inconsistent with current sales terms.